The LeTourneau University women's basketball team scored the final five points of the game en route to a 56-54 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday in Belton.
 
"The team did a great job once again of battling through the obstacles," said LETU head coach Leslie Reinecker. "We got contributions from a lot of players and great mental toughness."

The YellowJackets (8-6, 4-2 ASC) kept the Cru off the scoreboard in the final 1:02 in the win. With a 3-point deficit, a second-chance basket by junior LaTanya Drakes with :44 left cut the deficit to one, 54-53. Then, on their next possession after a timeout, junior Ashley Crockett knocked down a jumper with 6.7 seconds to go for the first lead by LETU since the 4:02 mark of the third period.
 
Clinging to a 55-54 lead, junior Jada Roberts came away with her only steal of the game with less than a second. Roberts sealed the win, making one of two free throws to secure the first win for LETU in Belton since December 1, 2012. Roberts, who was making only her second start of the season, came away with nine rebounds and four assists. Crockett added eight points and eight rebounds in the win; plus Drakes had her third double double of the season with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Junior Crystal Jones led all scorers with 20 points in the win.
 
The Cru (4-7, 0-2 ASC) were led by Destini Oakmon, who had 13 points and five assists off the bench. Plus, Bridjai Chaney nearly had a double double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

LeTourneau started the game with a 15-5 run in the opening period. Seven of the 15 points for the YellowJackets came from Jones. Mary Hardin-Baylor rallied to cut the deficit to three, at halftime, 23-20, scoring eight of the final 11 points. The Cru came out of the halftime break and scored the first eight points of the third period for its first lead of the contest. UMHB managed to stretch the lead to as much as eight, 47-39, in the opening minutes of the fourth period.
 
Despite the eight-point deficit, the YellowJackets regained the lead with a 12-2 run for a 51-49 lead with 3:17 to go. The two teams exchanged the lead, but it was the defense of the YellowJackets, who held UMHB off the scoreboard down the stretch and made clutch baskets to secure the road win.
 
LETU returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 9 in a 1 p.m. contest against Concordia University in Austin.